"My client feels terrible that someone died, but he had no choice at the time." - Patrick F. Lauer, Theodore Meriweather's defense attorney.

Pennsylvania's version of the Castle Doctrine, outlining the right to use lethal force against intruders, should lead to an acquittal for a Harrisburg man charged with homicide, the man's attorney said.

Meriweather admitted he shot the victim, 53-year-old John Lumpkins, but he and his attorney claim Lumpkins threatened Meriweather and was trying to get into his car.

"My client feels terrible that someone died, but he had no choice at the time," said Meriweather's attorney, Patrick F. Lauer. "All the information we were able to obtain so far from Mr. Lumpkins' wife shows Mr. Lumpkins was, in fact, the aggressor in this case."

According to city police, Meriweather and the woman ran into Lumpkins around 11:40 p.m. Saturday in the Pub Bar at Dewberry and Blackberry streets. The couple left and Lumpkins followed them to Meriweather's car parked behind the bar, police said.

Lauer said Lumpkins chased Meriweather around the car several times before Meriweather got in. Before Meriweather could start the vehicle, Lumpkins opened the back door and tried to pull his estranged wife from the car, Lauer said.

"Now that can be considered a kidnapping, that could be considered an assault," Lauer said. "Who knows what he was going to do? My client informed him, 'I have a gun' but that was not going to stop Mr. Lumpkins — he didn't care. Obviously Mr. Meriweather was very scared."

According to Lauer, Lumpkins and his wife were estranged for more than a year, and Lumpkins was well aware of her relationship with Meriweather. Lumpkins threatened Meriweather shortly after he began dating the woman, Lauer said, but Meriweather shrugged off the incident when nothing came of it.

Lauer went on to cite Pennsylvania's version of the Castle Doctrine, a law that provides conditions for people to use lethal force against someone attacking them or attempting to invade their homes or other secured places. In Pennsylvania, the space in which a person can legally protect themselves includes vehicles, Lauer said.

"The Castle Doctrine protects my client. He was in his vehicle; he couldn't get out of there," Lauer said. "… The door was open, [Lumpkins] was trying to get in and [Meriweather] couldn't gun the motor and get out of there."

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